cccOur Father and God in Heaven, we prayerfully ask for
Your blessing on this study, as we touch on restoring the third
commandment, and as we shall continue to restore the ninth
commandment against bearing a false witness. Just as Your Word
has so plainly forewarned, the ninth commandment has been made
void by the open idolatry of the openly heathen threat from
within. May those who will be Judged by You to be genuinely
penitent, overcoming, and true Seventh-day Adventists be enabled
by Your Holy Spirit to literally see the openly heathen threat
from within and/or to literally see the perishing, impenitent,
great mass of openly sinning or openly heathen Laodiceans in a
professing Christian disguise and in a professing Seventh-day
Adventist disguise. Thank You for the gifts and precious
privileges of warning, as found in Your Word, and/or as found in
the inspired writings of the Bible and Ellen G. White. We are
grateful and thankful, as we claim the promise that God the Holy
Spirit or the third “person” of the “three living
persons of the Heavenly trio” will “indite” this
prayer and will therefore intercede to make this humble prayer
rise up acceptable and perfect before Your everlasting Throne. Ev
615, 616; RH February 9, 1897. In the forever holy and eternally
sacred name of Jesus Christ, our infinite, omnipresent,
omnipotent, immutable or unchangeable, and pre-existent Lord God
and Saviour, we pray and give thanks. Amen.
cccAs God has forewarned, the perishing, impenitent,
great mass of highly visible, openly sinning, openly heathen or
spiritualistic, worse than dead, Satan aiding or lukewarm
Laodiceans prefer the sophistry or plausible sounding lies of the
enemy, rather than a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” and
are used by Satan to utter his falsehoods and to transmit his
heathen darkness, as follows:
ccc“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.” — Exodus 20:16.
ccc“If we say that we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness, we lie [i.e., we bear false witness] . . .
.” — 1 John 1:6.
ccc“The devil [i.e., the enemy of God and man] . .
. from the beginning . . . abode not in the truth, because there
is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” — John
8:44.
ccc“ . . . . aiding the
enemy [i.e., aiding Satan, the father of lies and the secretly
disguised demon-god of ancient and modern heathenism] . . . The
term ‘lukewarm’ is applicable to this class.”
— 4T 87, written in 1876.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. . . . their whole life being a lie.” —
7BC 962:2:1; or Letter 66, 1894.
ccc“Truth will never be agreeable to a liar . . .
.” — GC 542, written in 1888.
ccc“Beware of false prophets [i.e., beware of
liars; and/or beware of the heathen; and/or beware of Satan
aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans], which come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” —
Matthew 7:15.
ccc“Satan [i.e., the father of lies; the secretly
disguised god of ancient and modern heathenism; and/or the enemy
of God and man] has come down in these last days,
to work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish. His satanic majesty works miracles in the sight of false
prophets [i.e., in the sight of liars or lukewarm Laodiceans], in
the sight of men, claiming that he is indeed Christ Himself.
Satan gives his power [i.e., his heathen spirit or power] to
those who are aiding him in his
deceptions [i.e., again, please see this ‘aiding’
discussed in the next quote below]; therefore those who claim to
have the great power of God can only be discerned by the great
detector, the law of Jehovah. The Lord tells us if it were
possible they would deceive the very elect. The sheep's clothing
seems so real, so genuine, that the wolf can be discerned only as
we go to God's great moral standard and there find that they are
transgressors of the law of Jehovah [i.e., that they are open
transgressors of the law of Jehovah].” — 6BC 1106:1:2;
or RH August 25, 1885.
ccc“ . . . . aiding the
enemy [i.e., aiding Satan, the father of lies and the secretly
disguised god of ancient and modern heathenism] . . . The term
‘lukewarm’ is applicable to this class.” — 4T
87, written in 1876.
ccc“The whole work of the father of lies [i.e.,
the whole work of Satan] is recorded in the statute books of
Heaven, and those who lend themselves to the service of Satan, to
put forth and present to men the lies of Satan by precept and
practice, will receive according to their deeds. Root and branch
will be destroyed by the fires of the last days.
Satan, the great general of apostasy, is the root, and all his
workers, who teach his lies in regard to the law of God, are the
branches.” — 4BC 1184:2:1; or MS 58, 1897.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. . . . their whole life being a lie.” —
7BC 962:2:1; or Letter 66, 1894.
ccc“If we say that we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” —
1 John 1:6.
ccc“The light of God is ever shining amid the
darkness of heathenism.” — DA 59, written in 1898.
ccc“On the lips . . . most precious truth was
turned into a lie. The policy . . . was based on a principle
borrowed from heathenism.” — DA 540, written in 1898.
ccc“Thou shalt not bear false witness against
[i.e., heathenism against; a lie against; and/or Satan’s
heathen power having, Satan aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans
against] thy neighbour.” — Exodus 20:16.
ccc“There are those who, though professedly
serving God, are witnessing against Him [i.e., are lying against
Him, are bearing a false witness against Him, and/or are bearing
a falsehood against Him]. To them the message to the Laodicean
church is given.” — 7BC 963:2:5; or Letter 44, 1903.
ccc“The . . . fraud . . . was . . . a . . .
falsehood . . . .” — ST April 17, 1879; or 1ST 98.ccc
ccc“Those who claim to be the children of God, and yet do not obey His commands, who are hearers but not doers of the Word, are regarded by the Lord as bankers regard fraudulent [i.e., false witnessing or lying] bank-notes. They are not genuine. They claim the name of Christian, but in reality they are heathen. To those who do not practise it, the Word of God is a dead letter. Christ says of such, ‘I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm [i.e., aiding the enemy or aiding Satan], and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.’ If they realized that they were sinners, He could plead in their behalf, and the Lord would arouse them by His Holy Spirit [i.e., by His true power; by His true Latter Rain]. But He can not present them to the Father; for they are worse than dead in trespasses and sins. They hear the Word, but make no application of it to themselves. Instead, they apply the Word to their neighbors. God can be no power [i.e., no Holy Spirit; no true Latter Rain] to lukewarm Laodiceans.” — ST August 2, 1899; or 4ST 50.
ccc“The . . . heathen . . . dishonor Him . .
.” — 5T 196:2, written in 1882.
ccc“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us
from among the heathen [i.e., thus, save us, O Lord our God, and
gather us from the heathen, worse than dead, false witnessing or
fraudulent or not genuine, God dishonoring, Satan’s heathen
power having, Satan aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans and the openly
heathen church they range under, just as we have already seen
from the inspired and written Word of God] . . . .
cccIt is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have
made void Thy law. . . Thy righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness, and Thy law is the truth. . . My tongue shall
speak of Thy Word: for all Thy commandments are
righteousness.” — Psalms 106:47; 119:126, 142, 172.
ccc“On the lips . . . most precious truth was
turned into a lie. The policy . . . was based on a principle
borrowed from heathenism.” — DA 540, written in 1898.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. They clothe themselves in the garments of their
own righteousness, imagining themselves to be rich and increased
with goods and in need of nothing, when they need daily to learn
of Jesus, His meekness and lowliness, else they find themselves
bankrupt, their whole life being a lie [i.e., their whole life
being heathenism]. . . .
ccc. . . . In a little while every one who is a child
of God will have His seal placed upon him. O that it may be
placed upon our foreheads! Who can endure the thought of being
passed by when the angel goes forth to seal the servants of God
in their foreheads?
cccOnly those who receive the seal of the living God
will have the passport through the gates of the Holy City. But
there are many who take upon themselves responsibilities in
connection with the work of God who are not wholehearted
believers, and while they remain thus cannot receive the seal of
the living God. They trust in their own righteousness, which the
Lord accounts as foolishness. . . .
cccMany will not receive the seal of God because they
do not keep His commandments or bear the fruits of righteousness.
cccThe great mass of professing Christians will meet
with bitter disappointment in the day of God. They
have not upon their foreheads the seal of the living God.
Lukewarm [i.e., aiding the enemy or aiding Satan] and
halfhearted, they dishonor God far more than the avowed
unbeliever. They grope in darkness [i.e., in heathen darkness] .
. . .” — 7BC 962:2:1, or Letter 66, 1894; 7BC 969-970,
or RH May 28, 1889; 7BC 970:1:2, or Letter 164, 1909; 7BC
970:1:6, or Letter 76, 1900; and 7BC 970:1:7, or Letter 121,
1903.
ccc“The light of God in nature is shining
continually into the darkness of heathenism, but many who see
this light do not glorify the Lord as God. They do not permit
reason to lead them to acknowledge their Creator. They refuse the
Lord, and set up senseless idols [i.e., senseless gods] to adore.
They make images which represent God . . . .” —
ST August 12, 1889; or 2ST 311.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood of idolatry. . .
.” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“Again the Lord seeks to guard His people
against idolatry . . . making to themselves images to represent
God.” — ST May 6, 1880; or 1ST 154.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 2SAT 184; or MR #360, 1901.
ccc“The . . . heathen . . . dishonor Him . .
.” — 5T 196:2, written in 1882.
ccc“How my heart has been grieved as I have seen,
in galleries of art, pictures representing Christ.”
— 3MR 85; or MS 42, 1886.
ccc“. . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord . . .
.” — Proverbs 12:22.
ccc“A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a
liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.” — Proverbs 17:4.
ccc“Truth will never be agreeable to a liar . . .
. ” — GC 542, written in 1888.
ccc“All liars are to have their part in the lake
of fire, and yet there are more falsehoods told and acted than
many suppose.” — ST July 22, 1880; or 1ST 172.
ccc“Would not the mind have clearer, more perfect
ideas of angels, of Christ, of all spiritual things, if no
pictures were made to represent Heavenly things? Many of
the pictures made are grossly false as far as truth is concerned.
Do not pictures so far removed from the truth give voice to
falsehoods [i.e., give voice to lies; give voice to that which is
untrue, fraudulent, or not genuine; give voice to spiritualism;
give voice to heathenism; and/or give voice to the Conference and
so-called non-Conference ranks of the openly heathen or
spiritualistic church of the Laodiceans]?” — 15MR 114;
or Letter 145, 1899.
ccc“We want to be true in all our representations
of Jesus Christ.” — CW 171; or Letter 145, 1899.
ccc“Neither God nor Heaven nor Christ, who is the
image of the Father, can be truly represented by the art
of man.” — 15MR 106; or MS 131, September 12, 1899.
ccc“. . . separate . . . from . .
. all . . . that is untrue to God . . . . ” —
PH167:8-9.
ccc“. . . everything untrue, must be put
away . . . . ” — 18MR 247; or Letter 17a,
1891.
ccc“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but
they that deal truly [i.e., thus, please see ‘truly,’
‘untrue,’ and more discussed in the next two quotes]
are His delight.” — Proverbs 12:22.
ccc“The artist may do his best to represent
the things his eyes have never seen, but his representations
are so far beneath the reality that I am pained as I behold them.
Neither God nor Heaven nor Christ, who is the image of the
Father, can be truly represented by the art of man. If the Lord
had thought it advisable to represent Christ in this way,
His person would have been described in the writings of the
apostle. . . .
cccSatan is working with masterly power [i.e., with
masterly, bewitching, spiritualistic, heathen, and Laodicean
power] to corrupt the experience of human beings, so that the
influence of the truth will not appear in their lives and become
a savor of life unto life to all who believe. Those who are
purified and sanctified will have that faith that works by love
and purifies the soul. . . .
ccc. . . . We need not any external representations
of the person of Christ.” — 15MR 105-106, 107; or MR
#1155, September 12, 1899; or MS 131, September 12, 1899.
ccc“All these spiritualistic representations
are simply nothingness. They are imperfect, untrue. They weaken
and diminish the Majesty which no earthly likeness can be
compared to. God can not be compared with the things His hands
have made. These are mere earthly things, suffering under the
curse of God because of the sins of man.” —
SpTB07:62:4, written in 1905.
ccc“Spiritualism [i.e., heathenism; and/or
Laodiceanism] is a lie.” — ST November 13, 1884; or 1ST
470.
ccc“It is fondly supposed that heathen
superstitions have disappeared before the civilization of the
twentieth century. But the Word of God and the stern testimony of
facts declare that sorcery is practiced in this age as
verily as in the days of the old-time magicians. The ancient
system of magic is, in reality, the same as what is now known as
modern spiritualism [i.e., as modern sorcery; as a modern system
of magic; as modern heathenism; and/or as the Conference and
supposedly non-Conference ranks of the modern sorcery promoting,
or modern system of magic promoting, or modern spiritualism
promoting, or modern heathenism promoting, worse than dead,
Satan’s heathen power having or mammothly deceptive spirit
having, Satan aiding or lukewarm church of the Laodiceans].”
— AA 289, written in 1911.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. . . their whole life being a lie [i.e., their
whole life being spiritualism; and/or being an ancient system of
magic; and/or being of sorcery; and/or being of endeavoring to
represent God the Father, Christ, the Holy Spirit, God’s
angels, New Jerusalem, or some other Heavenly thing by the
so-called art of man; and/or being of aiding Satan in claiming
that he is indeed Christ Himself through the expressly forbidden
so-called art of man, which foolishly endeavors to make visible
representations Christ; and/or being of heathenism; and/or being
of wolves in professing Christian sheep’s clothing and in a
professing Seventh-day Adventist sheep’s clothing].”
— 7BC 962:2:1; or Letter 66, 1894.
ccc“Spiritualism [i.e., heathenism; and/or
Laodiceanism] is a lie. It is founded on the great original lie,
‘Thou shalt not surely die.’” — ST November
13, 1884; or 1ST 470.
ccc“Modern spiritualism and the forms of ancient
witchcraft and idol worship--all having communion with the dead
as their vital principle--are founded upon that first lie by
which Satan beguiled Eve in Eden: ‘Ye shall not surely die:
for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, . . . ye shall
be as gods.’ Genesis 3:4, 5. Alike based upon falsehood and
perpetuating the same, they are alike from the father of
lies.” — PP 685, written in 1890.c
ccc“Modern spiritualism, resting upon the same
foundation, is but a revival [i.e., Satan’s on-going, latter
times, counterfeit revival, as seen in PP 686 and GC 464-465,
556] in a new form of the witchcraft and demon worship that God
condemned and prohibited of old. It is foretold in the
Scriptures, which declare that ‘in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils.’ 1 Timothy 4:1. Paul, in
his second letter to the Thessalonians, points to the special
working of Satan in spiritualism as an event to take place immediately
before the second advent of Christ. Speaking of Christ's
second coming, he declares that it is ‘after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:9.” — PP 686, written
in 1890.
ccc“‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils
(spiritualism); speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron.’” — ST December
5, 1895; or 3ST 257.
ccc“On the lips . . . most precious truth was
turned into a lie. The policy . . . was based on a principle
borrowed from heathenism [i.e., and/or borrowed from the openly
heathen church of the Laodiceans].” — DA 540, written
in 1898.
ccc“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us
from among the heathen . . . .
It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy
law. . . Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and
Thy law is the truth. . . My tongue shall speak of Thy Word: for
all Thy commandments are righteousness.” — Psalms
106:47; 119:126, 142, 172.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. . . their whole life being a lie [i.e., their
whole life being spiritualism; and/or being of an ancient system
of magic; and/or being of sorcery; and/or being of the communion
with the dead; and/or being of ancient witchcraft and idol
worship; and/or being of endeavoring to represent God the Father,
Christ, the Holy Spirit, God’s angels, New Jerusalem, or
some other Heavenly thing by the so-called art of man; and/or
being of aiding Satan in claiming that he is indeed Christ
Himself through the expressly forbidden so-called art of man,
which unwisely endeavors to make visible representations Christ;
and/or being of Satan’s on-going, counterfeit revival of
witchcraft and demon worship; and/or being of heathenism; and/or
being of wolves in professing Christian sheep’s clothing and
in a professing Seventh-day Adventist sheep’s
clothing].” — 7BC 962:2:1; or Letter 66, 1894.
ccc“I tell you the truth; I lie not. . . I want
you to sit at the wedding feast, clad in the wedding
garment,--the righteousness of Christ.” — BCL 69.
ccc“The righteousness which Christ taught is
conformity of heart and life to the revealed will of God.”
— DA 310, written in 1898.
cccTherefore, what do you think? Do openly heathen or
spiritualistic, Satan aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans of the openly
heathen church of the Laodiceans prefer the sophistry of the
enemy or do they prefer a plain “Thus saith the Lord”
instead? What has God told us? Please, see below.
ccc“You have had a glimpse of the righteousness of
Christ which you have not lost, as I am sure some others did when
they came in contact with those who did not
appreciate this blessed truth. . . .
ccc. . . . I am often referred to the parable of the
ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish. This
parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter, for it
has a special application to this time, and, like the third
angel's message, has been fulfilled and will continue to be
present truth till the close of time. . . .
ccc. . . . There are persons who have received the
precious light of the righteousness of Christ, but they do not
act upon it; they are foolish virgins. They prefer the sophistry
of the enemy [i.e., they prefer the misleading, plausible
sounding, cunning, clever lies or falsehoods of the enemy],
rather than the plain ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ . . .
cccSatan uses those who claim to believe the truth, but
whose light has become darkness, as his mediums to utter his
falsehoods and transmit his darkness [i.e., his heathen
darkness]. They are foolish virgins indeed, choosing darkness
[i.e., choosing heathen darkness] rather than light, and
dishonoring God. . . That which passes with many for the religion
of Christ, is made up of ideas and theories, a mixture of truth
and error. . . .
cccThe state of the Church represented by the foolish
virgins, is also spoken of as the Laodicean state. The True
Witness declares, ‘I know thy works, that thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because
thou art lukewarm [i.e., aiding the enemy or aiding Satan, the
father of lies, and the secretly disguised god of ancient and
modern heathenism], and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee
out of My mouth.’ . . .
cccHalf-hearted Christians obscure the glory of God,
misinterpret piety, and cause men to receive false ideas as to
what constitutes vital godliness. . . These professors of
religion claim to keep the law of God, but they do not keep
it.” — RH August 19, 1890; or 2RH 419, 420.
ccc“Believing a lie will not put any one of us in
the way of being sanctified. Should all the ministers in the
world tell us that we were safe in disobeying a single precept of
the holy standard of righteousness, it would not lessen our
obligations nor make our guilt less, if we reject a plain
‘Thou shalt’ or ‘Thou shalt not.’ We need not
think that because our fathers did a certain way and died happy,
we may follow in their footsteps and be accepted in rendering the
same service and doing the same works that they did.” —
FW 122; or RH March 25, 1902.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
cccTherefore, as it best suits their openly covetous
“desire” to “live for self’ [PP 308; 7BC
962], openly sinning or openly heathen, worse than dead, Satan
aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans in professing Christian
sheep’s clothing (1.) falsely profess to keep the
commandments of God, even though they do not keep them; (2.)
deceptively teach others to disobey the commandments of God,
while they themselves make boastful and false professions about
keeping the moral laws of Jehovah; and, as open sin has become
general and more accepted among openly sinning or openly heathen
Laodiceans, it has come to appear less and less sinful, and many
of the perishing, impenitent, great mass of openly heathen, worse
than dead, Satan aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans in professing
Seventh-day Adventist sheep’s clothing (3.) even now are
wickedly declaring that the divine law is no longer in force.
Thus, openly heathen Laodiceans predictably dishonor God; and,
therefore, history is repeating, as we shall see. Thus, so this
dishonoring, so this open heathenism or so this open idolatry,
and so this vain worship was in Noah’s day; and, since
history is repeating, to include the history of Noah’s day,
as we shall see, so this dishonoring, so this open heathenism or
so this open idolatry, and so this vain worship are openly
manifested now in the openly heathen church of the Laodiceans.
Therefore, be forewarned; because, directly contrary to what
openly heathen Laodiceans claim, history is repeating, even the
history of Noah’s day, as follows:
ccc“But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be.” —
Matthew 24:37.
ccc“History is repeating.”
— DA 258, written in 1898.
ccc“That which hath been is now; and that
which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is
past.” — Ecclesiastes 3:15.
ccc“History is repeating.”
— ST May 9, 1906; or 4ST 420.
ccc“Again the Lord seeks to guard His people
against idolatry . . . making to themselves images to represent
God.” — ST May 6, 1880; or 1ST 154.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 2SAT 184; or MR #360, 1901.
ccc“Men in Noah's day were not
all absolute idolaters, but in their idolatry they professed to
know God, and in the grand images they had created, their plan
was to represent God before the world.” — 10MR
372:1; or MS 5, 1876.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 4BC 1145; or MS 126, 1901.
ccc“The . . . heathen . . . dishonor Him . .
.” — 5T 196:2, written in 1882.
ccc“The principle that man can save himself by his
own works [i.e., thus, please see these ‘works’ and
more about heathenism, as discussed in the next quote; and,
please, remember, history is repeating] lay at the foundation of
every heathen religion . . . .” — DA 35, written in
1898.
ccc“In Noah's day all men were
not in the fullest sense heathen idolaters. Many had a knowledge
of God and of His law, but in their grand works of sculpture, in
their works of art, they professed to be honoring God by representing
Him in the works of their own hands in the similitudes which they
had made of God.” — ST December 20, 1877; or 1ST 48.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 2SAT 184; or MR #360, 1901.
ccc“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh
His name in vain.” — Exodus 20:7.
ccc“‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh His name in vain.’
cccThis commandment not only prohibits false oaths and
common swearing, but it forbids us to . . . dishonor Him.”
— PP 306, 307, written in 1890.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 4BC 1145; or MS 126, 1901.
ccc“There perished in the Flood greater
inventions of art and human skill than the world knows of
today. The arts destroyed were more than the boasted
arts of today.” — 1BC 1089:1:2; or
Letter 65, 1898.
ccc“In strength of intellect, men who now live can
bear no comparison to the ancients. There have
been more ancient arts lost than the present generation now
possess. For skill and art those living in this
degenerate age will not compare with the knowledge
possessed by strong men who lived near one thousand years.”
— 1BC 1089:2:6; or 4aSG 155-156, written in 1864.
ccc“The men of that generation
[i.e., of Noah’s generation] were not all, in the fullest
acceptation of the term, idolaters. Many professed to be
worshipers of God. They claimed that their idols [i.e., their
gods] were representations of the Deity, and that through
them the people could obtain a clearer conception
of the divine Being. This class were foremost in rejecting the
preaching of Noah.” — PP 95-96, written in 1890.
ccc“As it was in the days of Noah, so
shall it be in the days of the Son of man. In the days of Noah, the
wickedness of men reached unto Heaven, and God sent Noah with a
warning that He would destroy the world with a flood of water;
but they had so long given themselves up to selfish and
demoralizing practices, glorifying themselves, that they had put
God and His claims and His honor out of sight and mind.”
— YI July 19, 1894.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 2SAT 184; or MR #360, 1901.
ccc“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of . . . I the Lord thy God . . . . Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus
20:4, 5, 16.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood of idolatry. . .
.” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men.” — Matthew 15:9.
ccc“But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be.” —
Matthew 24:37.
ccc“Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen. . . By faith
Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the
which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith.” — Hebrews 11:7.
ccc“The principle that man can save himself by his
own works lay at the foundation of every heathen religion . . .
.” — DA 35, written in 1898.
ccc“The human mind is naturally inclined to dwell
upon the things which are seen and heard, and to neglect
the things which are unseen. The Lord had done marvelous things
for His people in the manifesting of His power as the only true
and living God; yet many had been led astray by the Satanic
delusion that God might be represented by material
objects [i.e., thus, also please see ‘material
objects,’ see ‘objects,’ and see more discussed in
the next quote below], the works of men's hands. By the
contemplation of these things, their minds were diverted
from God.” — ST May 19, 1881; or 1ST 227.
ccc“The men of that generation
[i.e., of Noah’s generation] were not all, in the fullest
acceptation of the term, idolaters. Many professed to be
worshipers of God. They claimed that their idols [i.e., their
gods] were representations of the Deity, and that through
them the people could obtain a clearer conception
of the divine Being. This class were foremost in rejecting the
preaching of Noah. As they endeavored to represent God by material
objects [i.e., also, remember ‘material
objects,’ as discussed in the previous quote above; and,
please see ‘material objects’ and ‘objects,’
as discussed in the Heaven-sent inspired commentary of the first
and second commandments, just below in this present
quotation--remember, the history is repeating and the history of
Noah’s day is repeating], their minds were blinded to His
majesty and power; they ceased to realize the holiness of His
character, or the sacred, unchanging nature of His requirements.
As sin became general, it appeared less and less sinful, and they
finally declared that the divine law was no longer in force .
. . .
ccc‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.’
cccJehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One,
Himself the Source and Sustainer of all, is alone entitled to
supreme reverence and worship. Man is forbidden to give to any
other object [i.e., remember ‘material objects’
above, and see ‘material objects’ below] the first
place in his affections or his service. Whatever we cherish that
tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service
due Him, of that do we make a god.
ccc‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image’ . . . .
cccThe second commandment forbids the worship [i.e.,
forbids the vain worship; forbids the witchcraft and idol
worship; and/or forbids the witchcraft and demon worship] of the
true God by images or similitudes. Many heathen nations [i.e.,
thus, today, this includes: the Conference and supposedly
non-Conference ranks of the openly heathen, worse than dead,
openly idolatrous and thus openly taking the Lord’s name in
vain and thus openly false witnessing or fraudulent or not
genuine, vain worshiping, witchcraft and idol worshiping,
witchcraft and demon worshiping, Satan’s heathen power
having or mammothly deceptive spirit having, Satan-aiding or
lukewarm church of the Laodiceans--as we have already seen in
this study] claimed that their images were mere figures or
symbols by which the Deity was worshiped [i.e., was truly
worshipped], but God has declared such worship [i.e., such vain
worship; such witchcraft and idol worship; and/or such witchcraft
and demon worship] to be sin. The attempt to represent the
Eternal One by material objects [i.e., by gold;
silver; stone; wood; paper; bronze; brass; iron; paint; ink;
charcoal; plastic; plaster of Paris; lead pencil; felt; or by
some other visible, dead, and material objects] would lower man's
conception of God. The mind, turned away from the
infinite perfection of Jehovah, would be attracted to the
creature rather than to the Creator. And as his conceptions
of God were lowered, so would man become degraded. . . .
cccBy causing men to violate the second commandment,
Satan aimed to degrade their conceptions of the
Divine Being. By setting aside the fourth, he would cause them to
forget God altogether. God's claim to reverence and worship,
above the gods of the heathen, is based upon the fact that He is
the Creator . . . Had the Sabbath always been
sacredly observed, there could never have been an atheist or an
idolater [i.e., and/or there could never have been a server of
gods or an openly heathen Laodicean].” — PP 95-96,
305-306, 336, written in 1890.
ccc“ . . . the gods of the heathen . . .”
— PP 336, written in 1890.
ccc“All the gods of the people are idols.”
— 1 Chronicles 16:26.
ccc“And ye shall know that I am the Lord: for ye
have not walked in My statutes, neither executed My Judgments,
but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round
about you. . . .
cccBecause with lies ye have made the heart of the
righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the
hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked
way, by promising him life . . . .
ccc. . . . they despised My Judgments, and walked not
in My statutes, but polluted My Sabbaths: for
their heart went after their idols [i.e., went after their gods;
and/or went after their forbidden images and pictures, which they
made to supposedly represent God; and/or went after their
falsehoods of idolatry--history is repeating]. . . .
cccThus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all
that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall
know that I am the Lord God. . . .
cccThe Word of the Lord came again unto me [i.e., came
again unto the true prophet Ezekiel], saying, Son of man,
prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth the
day! For the day is near, even the day
of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be
the time of the heathen.” — Ezekiel 11:12;
13:22; 20:16; 24:24; 30:1-3.
ccc“The light of God in nature is shining
continually into the darkness of heathenism, but many who see
this light do not glorify the Lord as God. They do not permit
reason to lead them to acknowledge their Creator. They refuse the
Lord, and set up senseless idols [i.e., senseless gods] to adore.
They make images which represent God and worship His
created works [i.e., and thus worship gold; silver; stone; wood;
paper; bronze; brass; iron; paint; ink; charcoal; plastic;
plaster of Paris; lead pencil; felt; or some other visible, dead,
material objects or created works] as a partial acknowledgment of
Him, but they dishonor Him in their hearts.” — ST
August 12, 1889; or 2ST 311.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 4BC 1145; or MS 126, 1901.
ccc“We may go to the heathen [i.e., therefore, we
may go to the Conference and supposedly non-Conference ranks of
the heathen, worse than dead, openly idolatrous and thus openly
taking the Lord’s name in vain and thus openly Sabbath
polluting and thus openly false witnessing or fraudulent or not
genuine, vain worshiping, witchcraft and idol worshiping,
witchcraft and demon worshiping, created works worshiping,
Satan’s heathen power having or mammothly deceptive spirit
having, Satan-aiding or lukewarm church of the Laodiceans--as we
have already seen in this study] and say to them that we love the
truth and serve the true God; and they will tell you that they
worship the true and living God.” — 1SAT 17; or MS 5,
1885.
ccc“But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men.” — Matthew 15:9.
ccc“But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be.” —
Matthew 24:37.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 2SAT 184; or MR #360, 1901.
ccc“In Noah's day all men were
not in the fullest sense heathen idolaters. Many had a knowledge
of God and of His law, but in their grand works of sculpture, in
their works of art, they professed to be honoring God by representing
Him in the works of their own hands in the similitudes which they
had made of God. . . To every one comes their day
of trial and of trust. While Noah was sounding the note of
warning of the coming destruction of that generation
was their day of opportunity and privilege to
become wise unto salvation. But they gave their minds to the
control of Satan rather than God, and he deceived
them as he did our first parents. He set before them darkness and
falsehood [i.e., thus, he set before them heathen darkness and
heathen lies--remember, history is repeating] in the place of
light and truth. They accepted the sophistry and lies of Satan
because [they were] the most acceptable to them, and the most in
harmony with their corrupt lives, while truth, which would have
saved them, was rejected as a delusion. Noah to
them was regarded as a fanatic, and they did not humble their
hearts before God, but continued their disobedience and
wickedness the same as if God had not spoken to them through
Noah.” — ST December 20, 1877; or 1ST 48.
cccTherefore, since the history of Noah’s day is
repeating, or since the history of open heathenism or open
idolatry and thus open Sabbath polluting and thus openly taking
the Lord’s name in vain and thus open false witnessing is
repeating, let’s review a few inspired facts from God’s
Word, as we have already seen from “the heathen threat from
within-4a,” which was the previous study in this series, as
follows:
cccWe saw that by 1876, God had already warned that the
term, “lukewarm,” in reality means “aiding the
enemy” or aiding Satan, who is the secretly disguised,
eternally deadly, false god of ancient and modern heathenism.
Remember 4T 87.
cccThen, on August 2, 1899, we saw that the Lord gave
the warning that Satan aiding or “lukewarm Laodiceans”
are “heathen,” “worse than dead,” and
“fraudulent” or “not genuine.” Remember ST
August 2, 1899; or 4ST 50. Therefore, because of God’s
forewarning about this openly heathen threat from within,
Christians or Seventh-day Adventists should know that openly
heathen, worse than dead, fraudulent or not genuine, Satan aiding
or lukewarm Laodiceans in professing Christian sheep’s
clothing and in professing Seventh-day Adventists sheep’s
clothing can be readily discerned in that they openly transgress
God’s first, second, third, fourth, ninth, and tenth
commandments, just as we have already seen in this series; and,
thus, besides these six commandments, openly heathen Laodiceans
openly transgress all of the rest of the commandments of God, as
we shall see in future studies in this series. Therefore, since
the history of Noah’s day is repeating, one should expect
that as the commandments of God are restored to their rightful
position that it is no wonder the perishing, impenitent, great
mass of openly idolatrous or openly heathen Laodiceans
“declare that the divine law” is “no longer in
force;” because, this is just exactly what the openly
idolatrous, openly false witnessing, or openly heathen
antediluvians did in Noah’s day -- thus, history is
repeating. Therefore, remember PP 95-96, 305-306, 336.
cccThus, again, please remember on August 2, 1899, the
Lord’s messenger stated that “lukewarm Laodiceans”
are “heathen” and “worse than dead” in ST
August 2, 1899, or 4ST 50. Then, just one month after this
Heaven-sent statement of August 2, 1899, on September 8, 1899,
another divine warning came from the Lord, which we also
discussed in our previous study in this series. Thus, on
September 8, 1899, you will remember, the Lord’s messenger
stated that the professing Seventh-day Adventist people were in
“danger” [15MR 114]; and, then, after quoting
God’s first and second commandments against idolatry or
against heathenism from Exodus 20:3-6, the Lord’s messenger
indicated that the human “mind” [15MR 114] would have
“clearer, more perfect ideas of angels, of Christ, of all
spiritual things, if no pictures were made to represent Heavenly
things.” Remember 15MR 114; or Letter 145, September 8,
1899. Also, on September 8, 1899, in that same inspired reference
in 15MR 114, 115, or in Letter 145, September 8, 1899, we should
remember that the Lord’s messenger went on to indicate that
some things had been presented to her which she “must set
right” [15MR 115]; because, in her own “home”
[15MR 115], one after another, these forbidden
“pictures” [15MR 115] had accumulated; and, again, the
subject under discussion was “pictures” of
“angels,” of “Christ,” and of “Heavenly
things.” Remember 15MR 114, 115; or Letter 145, September 8,
1899. The Lord’s messenger went on to say that she saw the
same in every “home” [15MR 15] to which she went. The
Lord’s messenger indicated that the Lord was not in this
matter. The Lord’s messenger then went on to indicate that
the charge in God’s first and second commandments or the
“charge in the twentieth chapter of Exodus” prohibited
“this multitudinous picture-making,” which would
“continue to increase unless there is a decided reform,
unless the people of God shall see that there is a decided
reform.” Thus, remember 15MR 114, 115; or Letter 145,
September 8, 1899, which we discussed in our previous study in
this series.
cccTherefore, in more recent times, even after these
inspired statements, let’s consider “this multitudinous
picture-making” [15MR 115], or this open heathenism, or this
open idolatry, which is prohibited by God’s first and second
commandments or prohibited by the “charge in the twentieth
chapter of Exodus” [15MR 114, 115], and which is on the
“increase” [15MR 115], just as God has forewarned and
predicted. Again, remember 15MR 114, 115; or Letter 145,
September 8, 1899 from our previous study.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood of idolatry. . .
.” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
cccIn the May 23, 1974 issue of the Review, false
shepherds of Conference ranks of the openly heathen church of the
Laodiceans claimed that Ellen G. White said that a particular
picture was most like her visions of Christ. In reality, this
claim is absolutely a heathen falsehood or lie in its entirety,
and no better than heathen rumor or gossip, as we shall see. Are
we to accept heathen rumor or gossip, and a heathen falsehood or
a lie to establish our points of religious doctrine; or, are we
to accept a plain "Thus saith the Lord" from
Heaven-sent, inspired, and written sources? Remember, impenitent
and openly heathen Laodiceans predictably favor or actually
"prefer" the heathen "sophistry of the enemy
rather than the plain 'Thus saith the Lord,'" and Satan
"uses" impenitent and openly heathen Laodiceans as his
"mediums" to utter his heathen "falsehoods,"
to thus transmit his heathen "darkness," and to
therefore deceptively pass off a heathen "mixture of truth
and error," as if this impure and unholy concoction were the
true "religion of Christ." Remember RH August 19, 1890;
or 2RH 419, 420. Therefore, not surprisingly, the heathen and
false claim is still being officially circulated by the openly
heathen church of the Laodiceans to promote the heathen falsehood
that Ellen G. White is supposed to have said that a particular
picture was most like her visions of Christ. Therefore, not
surprisingly, this heathen falsehood is still thus being
officially circulated, as if it is pure truth, and as if it is a
plain "Thus saith the Lord," which it is most assuredly
not! Though you may politely demand a "Thus saith the
Lord," as we have repeatedly done throughout the years, or
though you may politely insist on a book and page number for the
support of this heathen and false claim that Ellen G. White is
supposedly to have endorsed a so-called true picture of Christ,
you will receive no "Thus saith the Lord," and you will
receive no book and page number. The reason is simple. There is
none! The heathen and spurious claim that Sister White supposedly
endorsed a so-called true picture of Christ is a falsehood or a
lie of heathenism and of the openly heathen church of the
Laodiceans, and the heathen and spurious claim that Sister White
supposedly endorsed a so-called true picture of Christ is nothing
more than spurious rumor or gossip at best. There is no Word of
God to support such a heathen and spurious claim that Ellen G.
White allegedly endorsed a so-called true picture of Christ
[sic]. Instead of preferring and demanding a plain "Thus
saith the Lord" with a book and page number, it is
altogether sad, tragic, and startling that a multitude are still
being deceived by such heathen falsehoods or lies. Instead of
preferring and demanding a plain "Thus saith the Lord"
with a book and page number, it is altogether sad, tragic, and
startling that a multitude are still being deceived by rumor, by
gossip, by hearsay, or by a "he said Sister White
said." Why? Because it is altogether predictable that a
perishing, impenitent, great mass of highly visible, openly
sinning or openly heathen, Satan aiding or lukewarm Laodiceans
are following after and promoting heathen rumor, or gossip, or
hearsay, or a "he said Sister White said" to promote
their open idolatry or open heathenism, and are following after
and promoting a heathen falsehood or lie to promote their open
idolatry or their open heathenism.
ccc“Blessed are they that do His commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the City. For without are . . . idolaters,
and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” — Revelation
22:14, 15.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“Only those who receive the seal of the living
God will have the passport through the gates of the Holy City.
But there are many who take upon themselves responsibilities in
connection with the work of God who are not wholehearted
believers, and while they remain thus cannot receive the seal of
the living God. They trust in their own righteousness, which the
Lord accounts as foolishness. . . .
Many will not receive the seal of God because they do not keep
His commandments or bear the fruits of righteousness.
cccThe great mass of professing Christians will meet
with bitter disappointment in the day of God. They
have not upon their foreheads the seal of the living God.
Lukewarm [i.e., aiding the enemy or aiding Satan] and
halfhearted, they dishonor God far more than the avowed
unbeliever. They grope in darkness [i.e., in heathen darkness] .
. . .” — 7BC 970:1:2, or Letter 164, 1909; 7BC 970:1:6,
or Letter 76, 1900; and 7BC 970:1:7, or Letter 121, 1903.
ccc“If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we lie . . . .” — 1 John 1:6.
ccc“The light of God is ever shining amid the
darkness of heathenism.” — DA 59, written in 1898.
ccc“On the lips . . . most precious truth was
turned into a lie. The policy . . . was based on a principle
borrowed from heathenism.” — DA 540, written in 1898.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. . . their whole life being a lie [i.e., their
whole life being heathenism].” — 7BC 962:2:1; or Letter
66, 1894.
ccc“The light of God in nature is shining
continually into the darkness of heathenism, but many who see
this light do not glorify the Lord as God. They do not permit
reason to lead them to acknowledge their Creator. They refuse the
Lord, and set up senseless idols [i.e., senseless gods] to adore.
They make images which represent God . . . .” —
ST August 12, 1889; or 2ST 311.
ccc“Again the Lord seeks to guard His people
against idolatry [i.e., against open heathenism; and/or against
open Laodiceanism] . . . making to themselves images to represent
God.” — ST May 6, 1880; or 1ST 154.
ccc“ . . . idolatry . . . is . . . demon
worship.” — PP 685:5, written in 1890.
ccc“All idolatry is devil worship.” —
Author Unknown; ST January 25, 1899.
ccc“The second commandment prohibits man from
worshiping the true God through any creature or image. It forbids
the making of any image which man might try to liken to the
Creator. It forbids the making of an image of any creature to represent
God or to be associated in any way
with the worship of God [i.e., with the true worship of God]. . .
.
ccc. . . . The Egyptians and other heathen nations had
many strange gods--creatures of their own fanciful imagination. .
. .
ccc. . . . The Lord is a jealous God. He will not be
trifled with. He has spoken concerning the manner in which He
should be worshiped. He has a hatred of idolatry, for its
influence is corrupting. It debases the mind, and leads to
sensuality and all kinds of sin.
cccTo make an image of God dishonors Him.” —
2SAT 181, 182, 184; or MR #360, December 10, 1901.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“Believing a lie will not put any one of us in
the way of being sanctified. Should all the ministers in the
world tell us that we were safe in disobeying a single precept of
the holy standard of righteousness, it would not lessen our
obligations nor make our guilt less, if we reject a plain
‘Thou shalt’ or ‘Thou shalt not.’ We need not
think that because our fathers did a certain way and died happy,
we may follow in their footsteps and be accepted in rendering the
same service and doing the same works that they did.
cccWe have more light than they had in their
day; and if we would be accepted of God, we must be as
faithful in obeying the light and walking in it as they were in
receiving and obeying the light that God sent to them. We must
accept and improve the light that shines upon our pathway as
faithfully as they accepted and improved the light that fell upon
their pathway in their generation. We shall be
Judged according to the light that shines into the soul-temple in
our day; and if we follow the light, we shall be free
men and women in Christ Jesus.” — FW 122; or RH March
25, 1902.
cccCan you imagine a church lying to its own people to
cloak over the church’s own open idolatry or open
heathenism? Does this make you indignant? It should! But it
won’t make impenitent and openly heathen Laodiceans
indignant! Can you imagine a church lying to its own people, and
letting them believe the false claim that a prophet or a
messenger of the Lord endorsed a so-called true picture of
Christ, when this claim is absolute falsehood, when no such
inspired reference or no “Thus saith the Lord” can be
given to support such a false claim, and when other evidence
exists that such a claim is at best rumor or gossip, as we shall
yet see? Well, this is exactly what the openly heathen and false
shepherds of the openly heathen, worse than dead, Satan aiding or
lukewarm church of the Laodiceans have done and are still doing!
As I mentioned earlier, in the May 23, 1974 issue of the Review,
leading men in the openly heathen church of the Laodiceans
falsely claimed that Ellen G. White supposedly said that a
particular picture was most like her visions of Christ. This
heathen and false claim, rumor, and lie has been circulated and
is still being circulated far and wide of the truth of the
matter. Though you may politely, but firmly, demand a plain
“Thus saith the Lord” with a book and page number in
support of this heathen and false claim that Sister White is
supposed to have endorsed a so-called true picture of Christ, you
will receive no such inspired reference. Why? Again, we warn that
the reason is simple. There is no such inspired reference! The
spurious claim that Ellen G. White endorsed a so-called true
picture of Christ is nothing but rumor or gossip, and is a false
witness direct from open heathenism.
cccOn April 1, 1984, at Elmshaven, California, Grace
Jacques, who was Ellen G. White’s granddaughter and Arthur
White’s sister, gave my wife and I and two other persons a
tour of the Elmshaven home where the so-called true picture of
Christ was supposed to reside. I had just finished giving a
series of meetings in California on God’s first and second
commandments. Tragically, but predictably, you do not hear the
truth on God’s first and second commandments or many other
commandments of God taught in the ranks of perishing and openly
heathen Laodiceans, who profess to be Seventh-day Adventists and
Christians in these last days. I am thankful to God that I had a
tape recorder with me that day on April 1, 1984 at Elmshaven. I
am also thankful to God that Grace Jacques gave permission for me
to tape record her testimony on that tour of Sister White’s
Elmshaven home. By the grace of God, and by the support of those
who care for the honor of God, since that single cassette tape
was made on April 1, 1984, we have circulated many master quality
copies of this same cassette tape all over the world.
cccBelow is a transcription of that portion of the
April 1, 1984, tape recorded interview and testimony of Grace
Jacques, which concerns the rumor or gossip about the falsely
so-called true picture of Christ, as follows.
Those in attendance:
1. Grace Jacques, who was Ellen G. White’s granddaughter and
Arthur White’s sister, and who graciously gave four of us
the tour of Elmshaven on April 1, 1984.
2. Michael and Jane Hodges.
3. John and Leveta Nicolici.
cccOn April 1, 1984, after a brief introduction, the
tour of Sister White’s home at Elmshaven began in the living
room. We paused in the dinning room to ask some questions of
Grace Jacques. Grace Jacques has passed away now; but, again, she
was the granddaughter of Ellen G. White, she was the sister of
Arthur White who was formerly in charge of the so-called Ellen G.
White Estate before his death, and she was the daughter of Willie
White and May Lacey. May Lacey being Willie White’s second
wife, since his first wife passed away due to tuberculosis.
Again, God blessed us very much that day by the fact that my tape
recorder was along, and by the fact that Grace Jacques gave
permission to record our interview with her during the tour of
Elmshaven. This historical tape is available in its entirety to
those who request it; but, for sake of brevity, we begin the
transcription of that interview and tour with Grace Jacques
asking the following question:
Grace Jacques: “Any other questions?”
Laveta Nicolici: “Yes.
Sometime ago, oh it must have been years ago, there was a picture
of Jesus [sic] in her bedroom, and the guide then explained that
this was the photograph that most nearly looked like Jesus in her
visions [sic]. What happened . . . .”
Grace Jacques: “Did you hear, did he explain that?”
John Nicolici and Laveta Nicolici (simultaneously):
“No!”
John Nicolici (spoken with deep feeling, with a mocking attitude,
with ridicule, and with a sneer, because John Nicolici is
indifferent to and typically neglects dealing with the open
wrongs or open sins in his own so-called reforming and
self-supporting ranks, and because John Nicolici did not and
still does not accept the truth on God’s first and second
commandments; since, his father wrote a book with a so-called
picture of Christ in it, as John Nicolici later explained to
Michael Hodges in an attempt to excuse himself from accepting the
plain commandments of God against open idolatry or against open
heathenism): “And we need this!”
[NOTE: ". . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.]
[NOTE: “Believing a lie will not put any one of us in the
way of being sanctified. Should all the ministers in the world
tell us that we were safe in disobeying a single precept of the
holy standard of righteousness, it would not lessen our
obligations nor make our guilt less, if we reject a plain
‘Thou shalt’ or ‘Thou shalt not.’ We need not
think that because our fathers did a certain way and died happy,
we may follow in their footsteps and be accepted in rendering the
same service and doing the same works that they did.
cccWe have more light than they had in their
day; and if we would be accepted of God, we must be as
faithful in obeying the light and walking in it as they were in
receiving and obeying the light that God sent to them. We must
accept and improve the light that shines upon our pathway as
faithfully as they accepted and improved the light that fell upon
their pathway in their generation. We shall be
Judged according to the light that shines into the soul-temple in
our day; and if we follow the light, we shall be free
men and women in Christ Jesus.” — FW 122; or RH March
25, 1902.]
[NOTE: “If wrongs are apparent among His people (i.e., among
His professed people), and if the servants of God (i.e., if the
professed servants of God) pass on indifferent to them, they
virtually sustain and justify the sinner, and are alike guilty
and will just as surely receive the displeasure of God; for they
will be made responsible for the sins of the guilty. In vision I
have been pointed to many instances where the displeasure of God
has been incurred by a neglect on the part of His servants (i.e.,
by a neglect on the part of His professed servants) to deal with
the wrongs and sins existing among them. Those who have excused
these wrongs have been thought by the people to be very amiable
and lovely in disposition, simply because they shunned to
discharge a plain Scriptural duty. The task was not agreeable to
their feelings; therefore they avoided it.” — 3T
265-266, written in 1873.]
[NOTE: “Poor mortals! They mistake matters; they have not a
true sense of what constitutes a Christian. Those who have been
thrust out to bear a plain, pointed testimony, in the fear of God
to reprove wrong, to labor with all their energies to build up
God's people, and to establish them upon important points of
present truth, have too often received censure instead of
sympathy and help, while those who, like yourself, have taken a
noncommittal position, are thought to be devoted, and to have a
mild spirit. God does not thus regard them. The forerunner of
Christ's first advent was a very plain-spoken man. He rebuked
sin, and called things by their right names. He laid the ax at
the root of the tree. He thus addressed one class of professed
converts who came to be baptized of him in Jordan: ‘O
generation of vipers (i.e., see Matthew 3:1-7; DA 280), who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’ . . . .
cccIn this fearful time, just before Christ is
to come the second time, God's faithful preachers will
have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by
John the Baptist. A responsible, important work is before them;
and those who speak smooth things, God will not acknowledge as
His shepherds. A fearful woe is upon them. . . .
ccc. . . . ‘Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is
as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry.’” — 1T 321, 323, written in 1862.]
Laveta Nicolici: “And the last time we were here I think I
asked you, or whoever was taking us around, and they just said
the photograph was no longer here. But the folks [i.e., referring
to Michael and Jane Hodges] were interested in that, so we
decided we would ask you the . . . what was the truth of the
matter.”
Grace Jacques: “I would be very glad too tell you. (Pause.)
Now, to begin with I will tell you how old I was when grandmother
died. I was fifteen, and were [i.e., was] very close to her. She
could have easily said to me ‘Grace, this is the picture of
Jesus that’s more like Jesus than any other.’
That’s what they say she said. But no, she never said any
thing like that. Then, when I was going to college at PUC, a girl
came and had worship for the girls. She said in the east, in her
home, they had this picture that you’re talking about - - in
their home. And Ellen White came there as a visitor, and she is
supposed to have said at that time, ‘This is more like Jesus
than any other picture.’ It wasn’t said to me, but this
is way back in the east. Now, . . .”
Michael Hodges: “In court we call that hearsay!”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . I don’t think
she would say that (i.e., referring to the comment “This is
more like Jesus than any other picture”). Now there’s
another picture, I could show it to you, I have it in my bedroom,
that Elder . . . that Brother Gardener, who lived up on the hill
. . . he said that Ellen White told him that was more like Jesus
than any other, and it isn’t like the other one at all. And
then there’s a third one that somebody said Ellen White said
was more like Jesus that any other. Personally, I don’t
think she would make that statement . . . .”
Michael Hodges: “Amen! I don’t either.”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . that this is more
like Jesus than any other picture. If the Lord had wanted us to
know what Jesus looked like, the Romans could have made a
beautiful bust. . . .”
Michael Hodges: “That’s right.”
Jane Hodges: “Amen.”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . And we could have
had it!”
Michael Hodges: “That’s right.”
Grace Jacques: “Now she [i.e., Ellen G. White] saw Jesus in
vision many times, and she said He is beautiful to behold.”
Michael Hodges: “Mm-hm.”
Grace Jacques: “Well, I was gone 40 years. While I was gone,
Elder Everson bought this house. . . .”
John Nicolici: “Mm-hm.”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . Evangelist Everson.
He didn’t come here for sometime. My father rented the
office, and we were alone in this house until 1935. Then my
father died, and they took everything to Washington (unclear) . .
. and they moved everything to Washington. Still, I was wandering
around, and I wasn’t here. And I came back, and I saw that
picture in the bedroom. Now it wasn’t there, when
grandmother was there. No!”
Laveta Nicolici: “And it’s the one that on this front
side . . . .”
Grace Jacques: “His profile!”
Laveta Nicolici (continuing on): “. . . is very bare. Yes.
You don’t . . . .”
Grace Jacques (on top of Laveta Nicolici): “Profile.”
Laveta Nicolici (continuing on): “. . . . see any hair. That
- - that’s the one!”
Grace Jacques: “So, I thought, well, Elder Everson is the
one that started getting the furniture back - - you know - - that
scattered. The bedroom furniture we gave to the college. I mean -
- we let them furnish three bedrooms in the girls dormitory. So,
we have all the bedroom furniture back.”
John Nicolici: “Uh-huh.”
Grace Jacques: “I don’t know where the dinning chairs
went. We only got half of them back. I . . . we had about a
dozen. There’s only six there. The table used to be much
longer, but it didn’t look good - - a long table with only
six chairs, and nobody eats here anyway. So, we don’t have
it long. So, then I was gone - - how many more years. And in
‘65 I moved back here with my husband. He’d retired. He
was a doctor. He was retired then. So, we came back, and we had
charge of Elmshaven. We lived on the north side, that room
(pointing), and that one, and the kitchen. And that’s the
way it was done ever since the Conference owned it - - finally,
again. Whoever had charge of Elmshaven lived on the north side,
and you didn’t see that. You saw this room. And we were
upstairs, and her writing room. Well ladies wanted to see the
whole house! So the Conference said ‘Would you move into the
office?’ Well, we don’t own it. We just do what they
tell us, and I said, ‘Well, yes.’ But I didn’t
like the idea, cause I don’t like little rooms, and the
office is where the ladies typed - - just little rooms. And I
didn’t say anything. And they got carpenters from the
college to come down. They knocked out the petitions. My front
room is the whole length of the building, my master bedroom is
the whole length of the building upstairs, and they made a
beautiful home for me inside - - comfortable. . . .”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . Okay. So, now my
husband and I are here. Now, I’m not a person who has to
have my way. And Elder Everson had a nice setup, and I left it
that way. I left the picture on the dresser with candles on
either side, and what not. And people from Europe said, ‘I
didn’t know we Adventists were icon worshippers.’ I
said, ‘We’re not!’ ‘Well, it looks like it to
me,’ they’d say. See! You know what I mean?”
Michael Hodges: “Yes!”
Grace Jacques: “Okay! Then a man that lived nearby that
liked to push things - - he printed thousands of pictures with
this picture, 7 X 5. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘I’d
like you to sell them there at Elmshaven.’ I said,
‘I’m sorry, no. No!’ But, I didn’t remove the
big picture. I just wouldn’t sell the little ones for him.
And he had printed on the back this same thing that you . . .
seems to be . . . that saw the picture up there. And it said,
‘Originally this was a jade, about like this (holding up her
hands in size), then it was a woodcarving - - in every respect
just like on the jade. Then, an artist painted it, and this is
it, when the artist painted it, and if you would like to have one
you can get it from a lady at the Sanitarium for two dollars and
a half.’ Well, I couldn’t stop that; but, I wasn’t
going to sell little ones here! Finally, I said to my husband,
‘You know, that picture isn’t in any of
grandmother’s books - - not one of them. If that’s more
like Jesus than any other why didn’t she put it in Desire of
Ages?’ You know, I got to thinking. ‘And John,’ I
said, ‘I don’t remember seeing it in her bedroom. She
didn’t have it in her bedroom.’ Well, people got so
they would come, and that’s all they wanted to see - - this
picture of Jesus. They weren’t interested in did their lives
reflect the beauty of Jesus. They wanted to see that picture that
looks more like Jesus than any other. And then a lady came from
Australia. She was at the sanitarium. Have I told you all this
before? . . . .”
John Nicolici and Leveta Nicolici (simultaneously):
"No!"
Grace Jacques (continuing on):
“. . . . She came, and I showed her through, just like I
show everybody through. She came a month later; and, she said,
‘You know, Mrs. Jacques, I was healed, when I looked at that
picture.’ And I thought, Oh, no! What are you going to do?
Now, what do we do? . . . .”
Laveta Nicolici (jokingly said): “Have a little Lourdes, or
what ever they call it.”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . So, I wrote to my
brother and I said, ‘Arthur, what are we going to do?’
He said, ‘Just put it away, cause we’re not sure that
she [i.e., that Ellen G. White] ever said anything like that.
It’s a hearsay! You know, and there’s too many
conflicting reports.’ He said, ‘Just put it away.’
So, I put it away. But my husband did a lot of showing the people
through, and they were very unhappy not to see that picture.
‘Where is it?’ ‘Well, my wife put it away.’
‘Well, would you please get it for us? We want to see
it.’ He said, ‘I don’t know where it is.’ And
he didn’t! . . . .”
John Nicolici (smilingly stated): “You two work
together!”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . No, he didn’t
know where I put it. And so it’s been put away ever
since.”
John Nicolici: “What . . . what do we do with statements
where she [i.e., Ellen G. White] . . . she says not to . . . not
to duplicate or to make . . . ah . . ah . . . pictures of divine
things?”
Grace Jacques: “I don’t know. I am not a
theologian.”
Michael Hodges: “She said a lot about not having any
pictures of Christ. She said a lot about it!”
Grace Jacques: “Not having any pictures of Christ?”
Michael Hodges: “Mm-hm [i.e., meaning yes]. Counsels to
Writers and Editors page 171.”
Grace Jacques (asking eagerly): “What’d she say?”
Michael Hodges: “She said, ‘Would not the mind have a
clearer idea of angels, of Christ, of all spiritual things if no
pictures were made to represent Heavenly things?’
It’s in the book!”
Grace Jacques: “Well, I don’t know about that. I
didn’t read it.”
[Then, there is more discussion of other things that do not
pertain to the falsely so-called true picture of Christ or to the
so-called Elmshaven picture hearsay. Please, be aware that
hearsay is defined as being gossip or rumor. After a while, the
conversation again returned to this same picture fable, or myth,
or falsehood.]
Grace Jacques: “Any other thing you have in mind?”
Michael Hodges: “I’m thinking.”
Grace Jacques: “I may not answer perfectly, but I can do the
best I can. Are you satisfied about this picture business now?
About the one in her room anyway?"
John Nicolici: “Yeah,
because we haven’t seen it. I don’t like that one, even
if it was true.”
Grace Jacques: “About how many years ago - - five years - -
it was in the Review. Six, six ovals, the picture was one of
those. . . .”
[Again, this interview with Sister Graces Jacques was on April 1,
1984; and, for clarification purposes, actually, the spurious and
false witnessing article in the Review that she referred to, just
above, was in the May 23, 1974 issue of the Review.]
John Nicolici: “Oh.”
Grace Jacques (continuing on): “. . . . No, she didn’t
say that [i.e., referring to the false statement or fable that
Sister White supposedly said that a particular picture looked
most like Christ]. That’s just hearsay, and hearsay changes
very - - very quickly! Now, in my day - - my fifteen years with
her - - she did not talk about her visions. She wrote them out
right away. She said, ‘Hearsay changes so much!’ And I
had - - I had an example of that, just by working here at
Elmshaven! They said - - um - - somebody came by, and they said -
- ah, ‘Oh, you said, when we were here that Ellen White wore
shorts when she gardened.’ I said (with an incredulous
tone), ‘I said that?’”
[Then, the interview goes on with more discussion about things
other than the falsely so-called true picture of Christ fable,
myth, falsehood, or heathen lie; and, we all continued with the
tour of the rest of the house. Again, the entire cassette tape of
this interview with Sister Grace Jacques, which exposes the
so-called true picture of Christ lie, is available to anyone who
requests it. Although we send out many tapes free, to include
this single tape, we only ask for a $2.50 donation plus postage
to cover our costs for sending out a master quality reproducible
copy of this Grace Jacques’ tape. Thus, again, for many
years now, by God’s grace, and by the support of concerned
brothers and sisters, we of FORERUNNER ministries have
distributed numerous master quality copies of this cassette tape
very far and very wide in this world in an effort to dispel the
falsehood of the so-called true picture of Christ fable.
Therefore, we also thank God that some people, at least a
precious few around the world, have accepted truth on God’s
first and second commandments against open idolatry or against
open heathenism, and have rejected the so-called true picture of
Christ fable or lie. Although Ellen G. White never made any such
statement endorsing a so-called true picture of Christ, and
although no such quotation appears in her inspired writings, it
is very tragic and eternally deadly that so many people have been
misled and are still being misled by the so-called Ellen G. White
Estate [sic] to believe this fable has merit and to thus cite
this fable or lie, as if it were the absolute truth. What a
tragedy, when a church deliberately misleads people into
accepting and believing in heathen falsehood in order to cloak
over, in order to excuse, and in order to promote their own open
idolatry or their own open heathenism! But such is the divinely
predicted case of the openly heathen, Satan aiding or lukewarm
church of the Laodiceans. Thus, a conflict and a controversy
exists, and rightfully should exist between Seventh-day Adventism
and between the lost, perishing, impenitent, openly heathen
threat from within.]
cccTherefore, we close this study #4b in our series on
the "heathen threat from within" by reminding ourselves
that the history of Noah’s day is repeating, that contrary
to the “lie” of the openly “heathen”
“Laodiceans,” and that contrary to the “lie”
of the openly “heathen” “church” they range
under, God’s “Laodicean” message does contain
commands to be “separated” from or to “turn
away” from the lost, perishing, impenitent, openly sinning,
openly “heathen” “church” of the
“Laodiceans” and from their openly “heathen”
“form of godliness,” as follows:
ccc“But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be.” —
Matthew 24:37.
ccc“Thou shalt not bear false witness against
[i.e., a lie against] thy neighbour.” — Exodus 20:16.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“In Noah's day all men were
not in the fullest sense heathen idolaters. Many had a knowledge
of God and of His law, but in their grand works of sculpture, in
their works of art, they professed to be honoring God by representing
Him in the works of their own hands in the similitudes which they
had made of God. . . To every one comes their day
of trial and of trust. While Noah was sounding the note of
warning of the coming destruction of that generation was
their day of opportunity and privilege to become
wise unto salvation. But they gave their minds to the control of Satan
rather than God, and he deceived them as he did
our first parents. He set before them darkness and falsehood
[i.e., thus, he set before them heathen darkness and heathen
lies--again, remember, history is repeating] in the place of
light and truth. They accepted the sophistry and lies of Satan
because [they were] the most acceptable to them, and the most in
harmony with their corrupt lives, while truth, which would have
saved them, was rejected as a delusion. Noah to
them was regarded as a fanatic, and they did not humble their
hearts before God, but continued their disobedience and
wickedness the same as if God had not spoken to them through
Noah. . . .
cccThe days of Noah, Christ tells us, were as
the days prior to His appearing in the clouds of Heaven. Noah's
day prefigures the present age.” — ST December
20, 1877; or 1ST 48, 49.
ccc“Thou shalt not bear false witness against
[i.e., a lie against] thy neighbour.” — Exodus 20:16.
ccc“‘In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye
heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit
of promise.’ Ephesians 1:13. What is the seal of the living
God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people [i.e., of His
true people, who will be Judged to be such by God, not by men,
but by God in His investigative Judgment, which is on-going in
the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary]? It is a mark
which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying
angel must see this mark of redemption.
cccThe angel with the writer's ink horn [i.e.,
God’s sealing angel] is to place a mark upon the foreheads
of all who are separated from sin and sinners [i.e., upon the
foreheads of all who are separated from sin and
impenitent, open sinners], and the destroying angel follows this
angel.” — 4BC 1161:2:2, or Letter 126, 1898; and 4BC
1161:2:3, or Letter 12, 1886.
ccc“Thou shalt not bear false witness against
[i.e., a lie against] thy neighbour.” — Exodus 20:16.
ccc“There are those who, though professedly
serving God, are witnessing against Him [i.e., are lying against
Him, are bearing a false witness against Him, and/or are bearing
a falsehood against Him]. To them the message to the Laodicean
church is given.” — 7BC 963:2:5; or Letter 44, 1903.
ccc“Many are Laodiceans, living in a spiritual
self-deception. . . . their whole life being a lie.” —
7BC 962:2:1; or Letter 66, 1894.
ccc“ . . . . the falsehood [i.e., the lie] of
idolatry. . . .” — 1BC 1108:1:1; or MS 58, 1900.
ccc“Blessed are they that do His commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the City. For without are . . . idolaters,
and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” — Revelation
22:14, 15.
ccc“The mind of him who follows the suggestion of
Satan becomes like his leader; evil propensities gradually take
him captive, and he becomes a slave of Satan. He is led on into
deeper idolatry, beholding not the celestial imagery but the
deceiving representation of the enemy. Satan pictures
before him the advantage of worldly gain, and fills memory's hall
with false representations. The mind looks upon these, and
becomes debased according to the subjects presented.” —
ST June 26, 1893; or 3ST 48.
ccc“Again the Lord seeks to guard His people
against idolatry [i.e., against heathenism; and/or against
Laodiceanism] . . . making to themselves images to represent
God.” — ST May 6, 1880; or 1ST 154.
ccc“All the gods of the people are idols.”
— 1 Chronicles 16:26.
ccc“ . . . the gods of the heathen . . .”
— PP 336, written in 1890.
ccc“In Noah's day all men were
not in the fullest sense heathen idolaters. Many had a knowledge
of God and of His law, but in their grand works of sculpture, in
their works of art, they professed to be honoring God by representing
Him in the works of their own hands in the similitudes which they
had made of God.” — ST December 20, 1877; or 1ST 48.
ccc“To make an image of God dishonors Him.”
— 2SAT 184; or MR #360, 1901.
ccc“The . . . heathen . . . dishonor Him . .
.” — 5T 196:2, written in 1882.
ccc“But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be.” —
Matthew 24:37.
ccc“As the time of their probation was
closing, the antediluvians gave themselves up to
exciting amusements and festivities [i.e., thus, the
antediluvians gave themselves up to a type of Celebration
church--history is repeating]. Those who possessed influence and
power were bent on keeping the minds of the people engrossed with
mirth and pleasure, lest any should be impressed by the last
solemn warning. Do we not see the same repeated in our
day? While God's servants are giving the message that the
end of all things is at hand, the world is absorbed in
amusements and pleasure seeking. There is a constant round of
excitement that causes indifference to God and prevents the
people from being impressed by the truths which alone can save
them from the coming destruction.” — PP 103, written in
1890.
ccc“Of the vast population of the earth before
the Flood, only eight souls believed and obeyed God's
Word through Noah. For a hundred and twenty years the preacher of
righteousness warned the world of the coming destruction, but his
message was rejected and despised. So it will be now. Before
the Lawgiver shall come to punish the disobedient, transgressors
are warned to repent, and return to their allegiance; but with
the majority these warnings will be in vain. . . .
ccc. . . . Jesus asked the significant question,
‘When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the
earth?’ Luke 18:8. And, as we have seen, He declares that
the state of the world will be as in the days of Noah.
Paul warns us that we may look for wickedness to increase as
the end draws near: ‘The Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils.’ 1 Timothy 4:1. The apostle says that ‘in
the last days perilous times shall come.’ 2 Timothy
3:1. And he gives a startling list of sins that will be found
among those who have a form
of godliness
[i.e., thus, please see ‘form of godliness’ and more
discussed in the next six Heaven-sent quotes below].”
— PP 102, 103, written in 1890.
ccc“There is no safety for one who has merely a legal
religion,
a form of
godliness.
. . .
cccA legal
religion can never
lead souls to Christ; for it is a loveless,
Christless
religion.”
— DA 172, 280, written in 1898.
ccc“This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form
of godliness
[i.e., thus, please see ‘form of godliness’ and more
discussed in the next four Heaven-sent quotes, which are arranged
chronologically by date, just below],
but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
— 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
ccc“As the people of God approach the perils of
the last days, Satan holds earnest consultation with his
angels as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their
faith. He sees that the popular
churches [i.e., to
include: the popular, openly heathen or spiritualistic, worse
than dead, Satan aiding or lukewarm church of the Laodiceans] are
already lulled to sleep by his deceptive power. By pleasing
sophistry and lying wonders he can continue to hold them under
his control. Therefore he directs his angels to lay their snares
especially for those who are looking for the second advent of
Christ, and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God.
cccSays the great deceiver: . . . .
ccc‘Through those that have a form
of godliness
[i.e., thus, please see ‘form of godliness’ and more
discussed in the next three Heaven-sent quotes below] but know
not the power, we can gain many who would otherwise do us great
harm. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God will be our most
effective helpers. Those of this class
who are apt and intelligent will serve as decoys to draw others
into our snares. Many will not fear their influence,
because they profess the same faith. We will thus lead
them to conclude that the requirements of Christ are less strict
than they once believed, and that by conformity to the world they
would exert a greater influence with worldlings. Thus they will
separate from Christ; then they will have no strength to resist
our power [i.e., our heathen power], and erelong they will be
ready to ridicule their former zeal and devotion.’”
— 4SP 337, 339-340, written in 1884.
ccc“But of how much value is salt that has lost
its savor? When those who claim to be Christians, do not in their
words and actions reveal the attributes of Christ, they are
represented as salt that has lost its savor. Whatever may be
their profession, they are looked upon by men
and angels as insipid and disagreeable. Of such Christ says:
‘I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm
[i.e., aiding the enemy or aiding Satan], and neither cold nor
hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.’ They have a form
of godliness
[i.e., thus, please see ‘form of godliness’ and more
discussed in the next two Heaven-sent quotes below],
a profession of religion; but it is contradicted
by their lives.” — ST November 7, 1895; or 3ST 251 .
ccc“‘This know also, that in the last
days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers
of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form
of godliness
[i.e., thus, please see ‘form of
godliness’ and more discussed in the next Heaven-sent quote
below], but denying the power thereof;
from such turn away.’
cccThe class here
mentioned by the apostle are not
mere heathen.”
— ST December 5, 1895; or 3ST 257.
ccc“Christ presented the requirements of God's law
with great force and clearness, but many of His hearers
turned away, careless and indifferent.
And to-day God's ministers preach the Word with
power sent down from Heaven, but on the minds
of many no permanent impression is made. The messages given by
God are not received and practised. It is not thought necessary
to bring the controlling power of God into the daily and hourly
transactions of life. God is not known by an experimental
knowledge, and therefore He can not encircle them with the
realities of the unseen world. The eternal reward of the
righteous does not impress their minds.
The great day of the Lord, which
is right upon us, awakens neither alarm nor rejoicing in their hearts.
They have a form
of godliness
[i.e., thus, as discussed in this present quote together with the
previous six Heaven-sent quotes above, please remember God’s
command to ‘turn away’ from the impenitent, openly
‘heathen,’ ‘lukewarm,’ and 'popular church'
of the 'Laodiceans’ and from their openly
‘heathen’ ‘form of godliness’ and/or from
their ‘loveless, Christless religion’ and/or from their
‘legal religion;’ and, therefore, please know that
cloaking over, excusing, having, or following after the
impenitent, openly ‘heathen,’ Satan aiding or
‘lukewarm,’ and 'popular church' of the
'Laodiceans’ and their openly ‘heathen’ ‘form
of godliness’ and/or their ‘loveless, Christless
religion’ and/or their ‘legal religion’ is what
being legalistic truly means and/or is what legalism truly means,
according to the language of Heaven], but
not the power of the truth. Wrapped
in self,
nothing can help them till they realize their true condition.
cccThose who claim to
be the children of God, and yet do not obey His commands, who are
hearers but not doers of the
Word, are regarded by the Lord as bankers regard fraudulent
[i.e., false witnessing or lying] bank-notes. They are not
genuine.
They claim the name of
Christian, but in reality they are heathen.
To those who do not practise it, the Word of God is
a dead letter. Christ says of such, ‘I would thou wert cold
or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm
[i.e., aiding the enemy or aiding Satan, who is a heathen,
eternally deadly, fallen angel; Beelzebub; Baal; Belial; the
beast power; the dragon; the prince of darkness; the prince of
devils; the arch deceiver and tempter; the master of deception;
the enemy of God and man; the demon-god; the god of this world;
the father of lies; the false father god; the unholy spirit
goddess, or the counterfeit latter rain, or the heathen power;
and the false christ god--all of ancient and modern
heathenism--and thus all of that which is also lukewarm],
and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of
My mouth.’ If they realized that
they were sinners, He
could plead in their behalf, and the Lord would arouse them by
His Holy Spirit [i.e., by His power; by His Latter Rain]. But He
can not present them to the Father; for they are worse
than dead
in trespasses
and sins.
They hear the Word, but make no
application of it to themselves. Instead, they apply the Word to
their neighbors. God can be no power [i.e., no Holy Spirit; no
Latter Rain] to lukewarm
Laodiceans.”
— ST August 2, 1899; or 4ST 50.
ccc"And ye shall perish
among the heathen
. . . ." — Leviticus 26:38.
ccc“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us
from among the heathen
. . . .
It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy
law. . . Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and
Thy law is the truth. . . My tongue shall speak of Thy Word: for
all Thy commandments are righteousness.” — Psalms
106:47; 119:126, 142, 172.
cccFather in Heaven, please “save us, O Lord our
God, and gather us from among the heathen” - - from among
the lost, perishing, pridefully and foolishly impenitent, openly
sinning or openly heathen, worse than dead, wrapped in self,
popular, careless, indifferent, openly demon worshipping and/or
openly idolatrous and thus openly Sabbath polluting and thus
openly taking the Lord’s name in vain and thus openly false
witnessing or openly fraudulent or openly not genuine and thus
openly covetous or openly forbidden image desiring or so-called
true picture of God desiring, openly vain worshipping, openly
witchcraft and idol worshipping, openly witchcraft and demon
worshipping, openly heathen form of godliness having, openly
Satan’s heathen power or spirit having, openly Satan aiding
or lukewarm church of the Laodiceans and/or from the openly
heathen threat from within. Psalms 106:47. In Jesus’ name,
we pray. Amen.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Michael O. Hodges
FORERUNNER, self-supporting ministries
Home church (since 1983)
Continued.
Pastor Michael O. Hodges
Copyright 2003.
Permission is hereby given to reprint any
of these studies and articles provided that they are duplicated
in their entirety without any change or comment.